Underworld entries, starting with ghost stories.

Wu Qing looked down at the pretty girl and saw that she was beaming with joy, looking like she wanted to say, "Praise me! Praise me!"

Wu Qingdao exclaimed, "Amazing! Amazing!"

Dan Ailian got up, took the outer garment, went around behind him, raised her hands, and helped him put it on.

Wu Qing wrapped his outer garment tighter and re-fastened his belt.

Just as he was about to leave, departing from the young beauty's boudoir.

"Wait a minute!" Shan Ailian called out to him.

She then walked around to the front of him and peered out.

Suddenly, he slammed the door shut.

Wu Qingdao: "Miss Shan?"

"Oh no!" Shan Ailian turned around, pressing her hands against the door behind her back, looking at him in a panic. "There are people outside. If they see you leaving my room, they'll misunderstand."

I said, if you're afraid people will misunderstand, then why did you arrest me in the first place?

"Young Master Wu!" Shan Ailian looked up at him pitifully. "Why don't you go out when they're no longer outside?"

"But if I had gone out just now, they might not have thought so much. Now that you've closed the door in front of them, if they find me in your room, wouldn't that make it easier for them to misunderstand?"

Wu Qing reached out and pressed his hand against the door, pressing his entire body close to her, forcing her into the cramped space between himself and the door.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the separation between men and women was not as strict as it had become after the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

But when a man and a woman are together in a dark room, it's impossible to explain.

Liu Xiahui, who never deceived anyone in the dark, is a saintly standard praised for thousands of years.

Shan Ailian also realized that since she had closed the door herself, even if he bullied her here, she couldn't explain herself.

"Oh... what should we do?"

She huddled her delicate body, as if afraid of being touched, like a mimosa plant that would turn into a man-eating flower at the slightest touch.

Yes, a man-eating plant!

Wu Qing had that feeling.

Don't assume she won't bite just because she looks as delicate and shy as a mimosa.

Of course, Wu Qing didn't think she would bite him.

While pinning the pretty girl against the wall, he reached out and gently brushed aside the bangs on her forehead.

She wore the "Hundred Flowers Bun," a hairstyle common in that era, which was the most common hairstyle for young girls who had not yet left their homes.

Her face was like a green peach that was just beginning to blush; it wasn't fully ripe yet, but it already smelled delicious.

The pretty girl whose hair was being ruffled didn't turn into a man-eating flower or a mimosa; instead, she looked up and gazed at his face.

It was as if they wanted to see him clearly, and even to keep looking at him like that forever.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Wu Qing asked with a smile.

"Brother Qing, we have indeed met before... a long, long time ago!" The beautiful girl's bright eyes seemed to lock his face inside, imprisoning him within them.

Wu Qing's hand moved down, wanting to caress her delicate face.

"Qing-ge'er? Qing-ge'er?" A female soldier's voice suddenly came from outside.

Further away, someone asked, "Are you looking for Qing-ge'er? Didn't you see him come in?"

"Oh no, the young lady said he's in here," the female soldier said urgently. "An urgent report came from outside the mountain, and they're looking for him."

The other person said, "We really didn't see it. We'll help you look for it."

A flurry of activity could be heard outside.

Upon hearing the urgent report, Wu Qing quickly stepped back.

Dan Ailian turned around, opened the door, looked around for a while, and then walked out.

"Miss Ailian, have you seen Qing-ge'er?" Someone ran towards her.

Shan Ailian said, "Ah, he came over earlier to eat breakfast porridge, then said he needed to get something and headed towards the Great King's Palace. Go and take a look."

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.

Wu Qing peeked out and saw Shan Ailian looking around outside. She then gently waved to him.

He quickly went outside.

Wu Qing walked towards the training ground, but when he was halfway there, he saw Dou Xianniang carrying a halberd and hurrying over.

"Qing-ge'er, you've come at the right time!" Dou Xianniang said, "Sun Anzu has been defeated and killed."

**

Inside the Great King's Palace, Dou Xianniang, Wu Qing, Shan Ailian, Cen Fuzi, Dou Bin, Dou Kui, and others gathered together.

The news of Sun Anzu's defeat and death made it seem as if the dark clouds had returned to Yanyin Mountain.

Dou Xianniang said, "News has come from outside the mountains that Sun Anzu was killed by 'Wolf King' Zhang Jincheng. Zhang Jincheng was originally a tyrant. Although he also rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, he was cruel and gathered together all the most vicious and wicked people."

"Whenever he conquered a place, he allowed his troops to burn, kill, and plunder at will. As a result, his subordinates were extremely motivated, and the government troops they defeated joined him without hesitation, leading to rapid development."

"In a very short time, his wolf army had grown to tens of thousands. Now, Sun Anzu has been killed, and my father's whereabouts are currently unknown."

At this point, she looked around.

Dou Bin said, "Should we try to go to Gaojibo to meet Lord Jiande?"

Dou Xianniang looked at Wu Qing: "Brother Qing, what do you think?"

Wu Qing replied without hesitation, "No need."

The others looked at him.

Wu Qing continued, "Zhang Jincheng's wolf pack tactics naturally developed extremely rapidly during this period of great social unrest, and were unparalleled in popularity."

"But as soon as they encounter obstacles, their discipline deteriorates, and the people hate them even more than they hate the government troops. Sooner or later, they will bring about their own destruction. Although Sun Anzu was defeated, Gao Shida is still around, and Zhang Jincheng's power has limited development."

"Dou Gong and Zhang Jincheng were not of the same ilk, and Zhang Jincheng would naturally not let Dou Gong go. But Dou Gong and Gao Shida were both heroes, and their main purpose in rebelling against the court was out of indignation at the tyrannical emperor and to protect their fellow villagers."

"Although Gao Shida was popular and highly skilled in martial arts, he was far inferior to Dou Gong in terms of military strategy and tactics."

"Dou Gongjin can lead the remnants of Sun Anzu to surrender to Gao Shida, who will surely accept and give him an important position. He can then retreat to hide deep in Gaojibo, eight hundred li away, where Zhang Jincheng will find it difficult to wipe him out."

Shan Ailian nodded gently: "What Qing-ge'er means is that if we go to meet Uncle Dou, our manpower is limited and we won't be of much use. If Sister Dou encounters the enemy, it will only help Zhang Jincheng lure the enemy out of their hole."

She paused slightly when she mentioned the word "snake".

Master Cen said, "What Qing-ge'er and Miss Ai-lian said makes sense. Zhang Jincheng relies on his cruelty to drive away wolves and bring disaster to the people. He is unparalleled for a time, but precisely because of this, not only does the imperial court want to eliminate him, but heroes from all over the country also disdain to associate with him."

"Dou Gong is not only highly respected, but also exceptionally courageous. He is unlikely to fall into Zhang Jincheng's hands. At the moment, there is no news of him; he is simply hiding deep inside, secretly gathering the remnants of Sun Anzu's forces."

Military officers like Dou Bin and Dou Kui already trusted their advisor.

Seeing that Master Cen and Shan Ailian both agreed with the advisor's words, they couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Dou Xianniang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Qing-ge'er is right. I was just confused because I was worried."

Wu Qing, being a time traveler, firmly believed that Dou Jiande would be safe before meeting Li Erfeng.

But in this chaotic world, who isn't living in constant fear? It's only natural that Dou Xianniang would be worried when she suddenly heard such terrible news.

After discussing it, the group decided to listen to the advisor and continue to stay here, relying on the terrain of Yanyin Mountain to remain hidden, secretly recruiting soldiers and horses, and not taking the initiative to attack.

Next, Dou Xianniang continued practicing "ear cleaning," while Wu Qing was busy settling the people who had moved in the day before and the Sui soldiers who had surrendered.

And so, it was time to drift off to sleep again...